3. Have the participants say one word that best describes how they feel about the night after the walk.


4. Ask the participants to make up a round robin story about the night by saying a few sentences and then hav- ing the others, in turn, continue the story thread from where the last person ends. (Make a rule that the story cannot be a scary one because the purpose of the walk was to learn to love the night, not be afraid of it.)


5. As a final closing, you may choose to read one or two of the quotations included in this article. You can also find short poems about the night to read to the participants.


Conclusion


If the leaders follow some of these suggestions and partici- pants were cooperative and open to trying something new, chances are that the night walk will be a positive experience. Keep in mind that one evening outside cannot completely change a lifetime of fears and negative associations with the dark. We often feel safer in the forest at night than we do in the city. It takes a gradual progression of non-threatening associations with the beauties and wonders of the night in order to learn to love it. We suggest that the initial experi- ences with the night be kept short and pleasant. Each suc- cessive night can be longer and introduce new activities. Additional activities, useful equipment and resources, and selected quotations about the night can be found at the end of this article. We wish you peaceful ramblings as you and those you lead become closer friends with the night.


Brad Daniel is Professor of Outdoor Education and Envi- ronmental Studies at Montreat College in North Carolina. He has been designing and leading outdoor activities for over 25 years. Clifford E. Knapp is a Professor Emeritus in the Teaching and Learning Department at Northern Illinois Univer- sity and a consultant in outdoor and place-based education. He has been leading outdoor activities for over 50 years.


Notes


1. Daniel, J., “In praise of darkness”, in P. Bogard, ed., Let There Be Night: Testimony on Behalf of the Dark, University of Nevada Press, 2008, p. 30.


2. A useful guide to explaining how to do this can be found at: <http://www. physics.ucla.edu/~huffman/finddip.html>.


Useful Resources Altieri, T. “The Magic of Night Hikes”, Green Teacher 58, Summer 1999, pp. 30-32.


Baker, R., Chartrand, M., Gordon, J., and Zim, H., Stars (Golden Guide), St. Martin’s Press, 2001.


Bogard, P. ed., Let There be Night: Testimony on Behalf of the Dark, University of Nevada Press, 2008. Brown, V. Reading the Outdoors at Night, Stackpole, 1982.


Chartrand, M. and Wimmer, H., Night Sky: A Guide to Field Identification, St. Martin’s Press, 2001.


Lang, E., A Guide to Night Sounds: The Nighttime Sounds of 60 Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, and Insects, Stackpole, 2004. Lawlor, E.P., Discover Nature at Sundown, Stackpole, 1995. Rey, H.A., The Stars, HMH Books, 2008,


Useful Equipment


Colored cards or paper, Candle, lighter or matches, Starfinders, Pieces of Quartz (Rock), Birdsong Identifier or Small Tape Recorder, Blindfold, Rope Flashlight with red lens or red covering of cellophane or red balloon (red light is less disruptive of animals), Scented markers or film canisters filled with essential oils like mint orange, etc., Wintergreen Lifesavers


Additional Activities, Equipment, and Resources There are many other popular activities to do on a night hike. These include:


1. Nocturnal Menagerie. Locate animals such as frogs, toads, earthworms, spiders, bats, and owls. Discuss the definition of a nocturnal animal. Try to estimate the size of an animal based on its sound. As the sense of hearing becomes more acute, participants will often overestimate the size of animals making noises. Have the group listen to recorded night sounds before going outside.


2. Rock On. Strike or scratch quartz rocks together sharply. They will give off a flash of light and a faint smell. This happens because striking them causes the alignment of the crystalline molecules of the quartz to be interrupted, and an electric discharge results when they realign (an example of ‘piezoelectricity’). The faint smell of sulfur is caused by a chemical reaction in the sulfur compounds in the rocks.


3. Latitude. In the Northern hemisphere, find the North Star (Polaris) and put a stick in the ground pointing directly to it. This stick forms an angle with the flat ground which is equal to the latitude of the location. It can be used on a sunny day as a sundial gnomon.


4. Night Owl. Play a recording of a common owl call or imitate it with your voice. An owl may respond to the call if the group is quiet. Do not over do this during nesting season because it will disrupt the mating habits of the owls.


5. Bioluminescence. Search for bioluminescence in fireflies, glow-worms (firefly larvae), decaying wood (containing foxfire fungi), and other natural objects. Find out what causes each form of light. To find foxfire more easily at night, walk the path in late afternoon and kick some of the decaying wood to expose the bioluminescent fungi in the wood.


6. Spider Eyes. Using a flashlight, search for the reflection of spiders’ eyes by holding the base of the light on your forehead and projecting the beam into the vegetation where spiders hide.


7. Legend of the Stars. On a starry night, invent new symbols, shapes, and stories in the sky to correspond to the different star patterns. Then learn the traditional star patterns identified by different cultures, including your own.


8. Insect ID. Hang a white sheet outside and shine flashlights on it to attract night-flying insects. Try to identify them. 9. What’s up DOC? Determine if the moon is waxing or waning, by looking at the side with the more pronounced curve. Think about the word DOC. D=Waxing (becoming more illuminated each night, represented by “D” because when waxing the left side of the moon is dark), O=Full (fully illuminated), C=Waning (becoming less illuminated each night, represented by “C” because when waning the right side of the moon is dark). Note: in the Southern Hemisphere, this mnemonic is reversed—“COD”.


GREEN TEACHER 93 Page 35


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